Media Coverage of Objectum Sexuality

Whenever I’m involved in a spate of press coverage on Objectum Sexuality (OS), my client base magically disappears. It’s odd. I doubt my clients are aware of my “other life” as an objectum sexuality media expert (if anyone can be said to be an “expert” at this point – we really know so little!), but there still seems to be this financially devastating drop in my private practice whenever I comment on the topic. It happened after I interviewed with Tyra Banks in 2009 and it took my practice months to recover! Of course, I could blame the drop in clientele on the false eyelashes I wore at the insistence of the TV make-up artist, or perhaps the economy, but that’s another story…

Now, by blogging about this springtime spate of media attention, I may make matters worse. However I’ve come to accept the karmic link – or whatever it is – that has drawn me to the periphery of this very interesting sexual minority. What I enjoy most are the occasional, off-the-record emails and chats I have with people in the OS community. I keep these conversations confidential. I learn a lot in my interactions with these folks, and sometimes even feel like I might have done some good.

Recently I was asked for quotes for the articles linked below that were both published this merry month of March.

As you can see by the crudities in the public comment section of The Sun article, Objectum Sexuals are seldom given much respect. In fact, they are targeted with a great deal of misogynistic hatred – as OS women have gotten the bulk of the media coverage. However, I was taken by this particular response: “I assume using actual sex toys don’t count as objectiphillia? I hope not [sic].” Ah! A rare moment of thoughtful self-assessment!

Just what is the history of human erotic involvement with objects anyhow? Back in 2009, I actually created a grid of degrees of Human-Object Intimacy to answer this very question! If I could, I’d post it here.

The general public – at least the snarky trolls who post hateful responses – will never understand anything more complex than a simple poke in the patoosis, so I’m not too concerned with them. The important issue is to get helping professionals to get up to speed. People who identify as OS are an emerging sexual minority and already experience all the internal and external turmoil that goes along with coming out of the closet, individually and as a group. OS people generally feel quite natural about their orientation and relationships, but they are also quite vulnerable to anxiety, discrimination, exploitation, and possibly even violence. The ones who are autistic, even more so. It is essential for counselors, therapists, social workers, and the like, to understand enough about OS to deliver appropriate and respectful care to an OS-identified patient or client – just as they should to anyone who is LGBQ, gender variant, or in an alternative “lifestyle.” (I sure hate that word…sigh.).

So I created an online class for helping professionals, based on a sexological assessment of the topic: Objectum Sexuality – What Is It? A Clinician’s Guide. The two-hour lecture provides a foundation for learning more, and for stepping back from judgment and negativity in the fine old sexological tradition.

7 Comments

Unfortunately, even some objectum sexuals can’t get along with each other resorting to name calling, stalking, harassing and even lying. Some objectum sexuals don’t have any empathy or sympathy for other objectum sexuals, only caring about themselves and their objects only. These are just a few reasons I dropped out of OSI and had my photo albums removed. There is absolutely a dark side of objectum sexuality too.

The more I learn about my own objectum sexuality as well as about other objectum sexuals in which we “all” have mental issues to some degree the more I see objectum sexuality as an objectophilia. But it isn’t a bad thing either because we as objectum sexuals need sexual release like everyone else as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else and is not put on display. Unless a person is an objectum sexual, a person can’t really see what I’m seeing as I continue to learn more.

This is a reply I left on YouTube: “It is a mental condition of those with mental issues that makes it impossible to have a normal relationship with a human partner. And that is why I have changed my mind as to whether this condition is an orientation or not. Therefore I consider objectum sexuality as an objectophilia. Even Erika as I mentioned earlier had some serious psychological problems which got her discharged from the Air Force. Otherwise if OS was among people with absolutely no mental issues than I might think it is an orientation.”

So, what it sounds like you’re saying is that unless you identify as an OS, it’s difficult to understand what it means or is like to be OS.

I think that understanding nonstandard sex issues is difficult for all of us…especially with the mainstream media stressing what is “right” or “normal” (And that’s not much!).

In a related vein, I’ve being asked a lot of anonymous questions on this website about how/why X gets them sexually excited (Am I normal??!!). Well often X doesn’t turn me on at all…so all I can suggest is that it’s totally cool that X turns you on, even though I often have a hard time understanding why X would excite ANYONE at all.

I see OS similarly in that there is no harm in someone having a sexual attraction to an object. It’s what feels good (or safe?) and works for them at that given time. That wouldn’t work for me right now…but who am I to say it can’t work for someone else!

As I continue to research brain disorders such as Autism and Aspergers, I continue to have a better understanding of Objectum Sexuality and would like to share this with Amy Marsh. I would love to see a comment from her.

Erika is the only one that has any common sense and don’t pull the crap on others, like some of the other OSI members as well as non OSI objectum sexuals, do. Also, Erika got her ass out and found herself work making it on her own, doing some things she can be proud of, despite going from foster home to foster home and having a rough life. So Erika is the only one that has never given me any trouble either and even showed me empathy because she always mentioned my backhoe loader loves without me saying anything. Wished there were more like her except that she needs to be more careful of those sick bastards in the news media and on TV that make OS people look like crazy retards.

It is really disturbing that Erika can get in front of cameras telling her audience that she doesn’t care if people think she is coo-coo while she sits on a part of the Eiffel Tower with her genitals contacting the metal and her kissing the structure as well. I could never bring myself putting me on display like that for the whole world to see.

One of the British rags found out about me and was trying to get me to make love to a real backhoe loader so they can print a juicy story and taking provocative pictures, making me look crazy as well. This rag was more than willing to rent the backhoe loader for the sole purpose of me making love to it. While I told them a little about me, I refuse to go along with making out with a real backhoe loader and that ended that. And this rag is notorious for poking fun at those who are different. It is unfortunate that objectum sexuals like Edward Smith and Erika Eiffel can’t see what’s happening and this don’t help our cause one damn bit. Just read about “objectum sexuality”, mechaphilia and objectophilia on You Tube and you all will know what I’m talking about.

We all have mental disorders of some sort with various degrees of Autism (in which I have HFA) and Aspergers. In the case of Erika, whole apparently had neither, she did have psychological problems which got her discharged from the Air Force. But, regardless of what the mental disorder is, it needs to be the most important part of an interview with all of our behaviors, as well as objectum sexuality, included. It just isn’t enough to just say that a person has a brain disorder and talk only about objectum sexuality. I have several behaviors as well as being objectum sexual (objectophilia) and my other behaviors, are lack of social skills (introvert), extreme sensitivity to noise and bass music, slightly retarded because I’ve been a slow learner, stimming, especially around my own real backhoe loader, face ticks and such bad temper tantrums that I either break things or hurt myself. I also have other behaviors where I don’t understand things very good and have trouble with speech. However, I am comfortable sending messages and composing articles on a computer as with many autistics and Aspies, which would be considered as a behavior from what I can find. And like, Erika, I was able to get out, get a job and live on my own though I still have to deal with all of these behaviors. I, like many autistic people who are gifted in one way or the other, am gifted with being a natural born artist that is capable of drawing anything including portraits of people, animals and sketching machinery. There is a company that has the lobby walls lined with several pieces of my artwork. So that is the good side of my autism. Otherwise the rest of my behaviors are not normal. Though it is too late for me and I have learned to live with it, I hope children and young adults can truly be helped that has these disorders.

Last thought: Because, not only there is objectum sexuality (objectophilia) among people with Autism, Aspergers and other psychological disorders, but there are a lot of other behaviors as well that seems abnormal to people that don’t have these disorders. That is why I say objectum sexuality (objectophilia) is a behavior (mental disorder) along with all of the other strange behaviors we have, instead of an orientation. If we didn’t have these brain disorders such as Autism and Aspergers, along with all of the behaviors that go along with them, but was still objectum sexual only, than I would say it is an orientation.

Hi Alice, I really thank you for reading and posting. I want to comment that the survey work I did was not a scientific survey, and so perhaps is flawed. However, the only kinds of psychological conditions reported by the 21 people I surveyed were: PTSD, depression, anxiety, Tourettes, Asperger’s syndrome/Autism, and that’s it. And these were not reported by the entire group. Also, you can have a sexual orientation of any kind whether or not you have a psychological condition. For example, plenty of heterosexuals are bi-polar, etc. Based on the survey work, plus conversations/emails with various OS people, the reported range of emotions and engagement do fit the APA definition of “orientation” (when stripped of references to human beings). I don’t agree that brain disorders necessarily “cause” OS – though they can be co-morbid. The one thing that does seem interesting is a potential connection to Object Personification Synesthesia. But this needs a really good study from someone with a lot of money and ties to a research institution. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for your comments, Amy. Sorry for some of the repeats but there are some different details as well.

I knew I had mental issues especially when I was younger. I remember that my mom took me to psychiatrists where I was given a battery of psychological tests. Back then they didn’t know as much about Autism as they do today. My mom was going to have me committed to a mental institution but decide not to go that route.

After learning more about objectum sexuality and being a member of OSI for a short time, I figured there has to be more to me than just being an objectum sexual. That is why I really researched this and took more tests for Autism. I was always extremely antisocial which I have been told by my mom and others. I’ve never had very many friends so I use to play by myself running around in circles, etc when I was a child. I didn’t walk until I was 3 years old according to what I’ve been told.

So this is why I see objectum sexuality as a mental condition rather than an orientation. If I didn’t have Autism with the conditions that go along with it, I would be oriented as a heterosexual and would be with the opposite sex. My backhoe loader toys and replicas are male and have male names. Sometimes I so desire to be with the opposite sex of the human kind, but my attraction, intimately and sexually, to objects are so much more intense along with all of the other traits which keep me from being with the opposite sex and living a normal life.

Some of my Autistic traits have gotten either more intense or worse over the years. Stimming and sensory overload are the 2 main ones. Even though I was born with a gift of art, I can’t write.

But, the positive side is I wasn’t so Autistic that I couldn’t hold a job or live in my own house. I’ve been on my own since I was 19 years old, very successfully supporting myself. I have operated heavy equipment over the years including a real backhoe loader and I have my own vehicle to get around too. I consider myself really fortunate in that respect.

Here are my top 6 Autism conditions/traits.

1. Excessively anti-social behavior/ lack of social skills 2. Stimming, especially around certain objects. I stim every day as often as possible with one of my backhoe toys. 3. Objectophilia/ A human relationship is totally unacceptable. 4. Sensory Overload; extreme hearing/ smell sensitivity 5. Handwriting issues causing me to print/ use computer 6. Face tics and strange hand movements which is hard to control in public.

Since I have learned so much more about the Autism Spectrum since I was diagnosed with it, I have come to realize that there is no such thing as objectum sexuality but a brain disorder of the Autism Spectrum. Here is what I put on Experience Project.

There is no such thing as objectum sexuality when it comes to those on the Autism Spectrum. But, this trait is considered as a fixation on objects where someone on the Autism Spectrum would use it for other than it’s intended purpose. It is the obsession of an object or a certain part of an object which is used for comfort, security, companionship and yes, even love and is no more severe than social issues such as fixated on subjects, sensory issues, stimming, rigid routines, etc. Some on the Autism Spectrum even give their objects names or genders such as with animism.

So I don’t understand why those on OSI is making fixated on objects into an orientation when it is a brain disorder along with all of the other traits we have caused by this brain disorder. So let’s call it what it really is and that is a trait or symptom of the Autism Spectrum which is a disorder. Please don’t disgrace us who are on the Autism Spectrum either by flaunting yourselves and doing interviews dwelling on the false notion that objectum sexuality is an orientation, either.

Just one more thing before I end. I know most of those people on OSI say they have Aspergers or Autism so go figure……………..

I hope Amy Marsh will get serious about studying Autism, because if she did she wouldn’t be saying that Objectum Sexuality is an orientation but a fixation of objects as just one of many traits or symptoms of Aspergers which is on the Autism Spectrum which is a brain disorder.